Watching the Sun Grow Old
by of-starsandapples
Summary: When Jeb calls a mysterious favor from Fang, he is reunited with Max, though with his own flock standing behind him. What does Jeb want him to do? What was so important that he agreed to break the promise he made to her five years ago? Fax! POST FANG.
1. Reunited among old friends

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of Max's flock, Fang or the concept of Maximum Ride. It all belongs to James Patterson! C:

It was today.

After being apart for five years, he was going to meet Max again. Fang hated to go back on his promise, but Jeb had called in a favor, or rather, had blackmailed him into doing this. Seeing Max, even after all this time, well, it still hurt to think about what could've happened. But surely, _she_ was better off with Dylan, who had been created for the sole purpose of being her perfect match. Fang. . . couldn't compare with that.

He knew that by being with her flock, he would put them in danger. Their faces flashed through his mind; Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy, and. . . Max. They had gone through so much together, but what Angel had said, along with Dylan's warnings, made Fang realize that he wasn't needed there anymore. He had to create his own flock.

At first, he thought it was idiotic to post on his blog calling for his kind to join him. Yes, they were Avian-Americans, 98% human, 2% bird. It was what gave them that extra touch to their charming personality. He had found Sydney shortly afterwards and they had grown close over the past year or so that they've been together.

After Sydney, Fang began sporting more hope for his 'flock'. And now, his flock consisted of four people, including Fang himself. They were all avian-human hybrids, Fang having rescued them from various branches of the School.

"Fang? Can we leave yet?" A small redhead poked her head out, the sunlight making her straight red hair shimmer. Sydney.

Fang continued watching the blue sky for any signs of them coming, giving no sign of hearing her. Jeb hadn't given him any other details about this favor, only that he and Max had to stand together. He would've considered that as too vague an idea to follow on, especially with his flock in tow, but somehow, Jeb had sounded serious about this.

Sydney took a few steps out, towards Fang, irritated that he wasn't giving her his full attention, or his attention at all. They had been at the caves for a few days now, waiting. Fang had even flew with the hawks that were here so long ago. It brought back a sense of deja vu, reminding him of the time Nudge and him stayed here, thinking the rest of the flock was dead.

Everything had been so simple back then, with their only objective to stay alive and save Angel. Angel... that evil little mastermind had turned out so scary after they had saved her from the whitecoats at the school. Between her dire death predictions and her mind reading powers, Fang was pretty sure that she could've ruled the world if she wanted to.

"Yeah, I guess. Stupid Jeb. He must've forgotten to tell them." Fang muttered, though still unable to shake off the hope that they would come.

"Really? Yay! I'm going to tell James!" Sydney was the youngest member of his flock, like Angel, yet she gave off innocence while Angel could appear menacing.

James was Fang's second in command and fifteen. He was reasonable younger than Fang, which made it easier for him to take over the flock if Fang ever had to leave. Sydney had already proposed to him, and he had, jokingly, accepted. Now, she thought of him as hers and wouldn't even let anyone sit next to him during meals. Of course, when a ten year old proposes to you, it's hard to say no. Still, it wasn't hard to like James, even for someone as un-trusting as Fang. He stood a little under Fang at 5'11'' and had a lean build. His sandy blond hair covered his emerald green eyes slightly and he almost always had a lazy smile on.

Fang smiled slightly at the younger girl as she skipped inside the cave that they called home for the last three days.

Softer footsteps replaced Sydney's as a dark haired woman stepped out, a scowl on her face. "Don't give her false hope Fang." She said disapprovingly.

She and Sydney were blood sisters, six years apart, though one could never tell. Besides their eyes, which were both the same shade of chocolate brown, the two were nothing alike. Anna had dyed her hair black when she first joined his flock, and although it wasn't the jet black that she hoped for, it still set her apart from her sister.

"Whatever. I'm going for a fly. If we really do leave, I'll know." She gave Fang a wry smile and spread out her wings. They spanned 14ft and sported tawny colored feathers that probably belonged to an eagle, between the majestic coloring and the huge wingspan. Anna also had the uncanny ability to foresee decisions, which proved both annoying and helpful. It was how they got in contact with Jeb, or rather how Jeb got in contact with them. But he wasn't going to elaborate on that now.

Fang sighed. It seemed like Anna didn't trust him or his decisions. He tried to tell himself that it just needed time, but sometimes, he wondered if she resented him for ruining Sydney's life. He didn't have much time to think about this as a shout from above snapped him out of his thoughts. Anna had come back, followed rapidly by six condemning figures. The black-haired girl shot Fang an almost evil grin. "What do you know? They made it." She stepped out of the way, to reveal the five people, and one dog minus a certain pretty boy, greeting them.

The one in the middle, after tucking in her tan colored wings, stepped forward, her eyes searching Fang's dark ones. "Fang, it's been a long time."

**Author's Note: **My first fanfiction! How goes it so far? Are you bored out of your minds yet? Please review and tell me what you think! C:


	2. Introductions

**Disclaimer: **Max's flock, Fang and the concept of Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson! C:

At the sight of Max, standing confidently in front of her flock, Fang couldn't find his voice and it wasn't his usual silence either. Despite knowing that they were coming, Fang hadn't actually considered the real possibility of it. Surely Max and the others were still mad at him for leaving them. He snapped out of it in time to give Max one of his rare half smiles. "Yeah, it has," he said finally.

The awkward silence was broken by Nudge, who decided that now was as good a time as ever to express her own feelings towards Fang. She ran up to him and hugged him. Fang smiled. He had missed Nudge and her constant chatter.

"Wow, Fang. Did you like grow taller or something? Well, I guess you must've grown, but you know, like, not grown so much. Oh! Speaking of that, our house in Colarado shrank, but that might've been because of the bomb Gazzy and Iggy set off. Dr. Martinez sure was mad when she came home. And when we rebuilt it, I swear, it's shorter now! Do you drink milk to grow? Maybe Gazzy should drink some too! Oh my god! You will not believe how amazing cows are up close. They gave us so much milk that I was sure, if I drank it all, I'd be as tall as you!" Nudge paused, drawing in a breath and Fang knew that she would continue, if not stopped.

"Nudge! It's nice to see you too." He said quickly, easily falling back into the same pattern that had been missing from his life for the past five years.

Gazzy grinned mischievously at him and even Iggy snickered a bit. One look at the two of them told Fang to check them for explosives of any kind before heading into an enclosed space.

It was only then that Fang noticed a figure standing towards the back of the group. Dylan. He had remained silent the whole time, though he divided his attention between Fang, whom he glared at, and Max. Fang couldn't help but take a little satisfaction in the fact that Dylan was uncomfortable here. Sure, he could be the leader of a flock now, but who said they had to be mature? Just because Max tried to didn't mean he had to.

Anna cleared her throat softly, subtly reminding Fang of his new responsibilities. Fang beckoned her forward. "Guys? This is Anna." Then he proceeded to introduce each of the flock members to her. Anna smiled politely at each of them, though her gaze lingered slightly longer on Max.

"So this is the Max I've heard about," she commented, enjoying the rush of indecisiveness that followed from both Max and Fang. Fang, who was trying to decide if publicly punching her was acceptable and Max, who was trying to decide whether or not to feel thrilled about this and then proceeding to deciding if this was even true or not. Max flushed ever so slightly, having caught Anna's gaze.

She recovered fast, biting back a sharp remark. "Hey," she said and then turning back to Fang. "So, where's Jeb?" Fang shrugged. Jeb had only told Max's flock to meet Fang and his flock at the cliffs, choosing to exclude the details. Fang knew she wouldn't have come if she knew the real reason she was here.

Just then, a voice called from inside the cave. "Faanng! We're done pac-" Sydney stopped, having made her way outside and spotting the large group in front of her. "Oh. So we're not leaving then?" She asked, somewhat crestfallen.

"Hey, Fang! Where did you put your sleeping bag?" James voice also grew closer as he, too, discovered Max's flock.

Fang pulled them both closer. "This is Sydney," he nodded at the small girl, "And James." He turned to the two of them. "Guys? Meet Max, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, Angel and Total. Oh, and Dylan too." Dylan looked pretty annoyed at almost being forgotten, but nothing was compared to the shock on Sydney and James' faces. They had never seen a flock so big. Okay, they had never seen another flock. But still, they could only imagine what it'd be like on long flights, how chaotic the formation would be and how easy it was to lost someone.

Max gave them a small smile and Nudge waved, happy to have more people around. She had always been a social type.

"Jeb might take a while, it's hard for a human to get to this cave anyways," Fang shrugged, not exactly resenting the hard-to-reach thing.

The sun was setting already, giving an orange taint to the once blue sky. Sydney's stomach grumbled and she felt her face go red as ten pairs of eyes turned their gaze on her.

"Let's eat. It must've been tiring for you guys to fly here all the way from Colorado," said James. Sydney shot him a grateful and somewhat smug look. Max, never one to turn down a chance for food, accepted and the rest of her flock nodded their agreement.

Dinner, which consisted of canned chicken noodle soup and some beef patties, went reasonably smoothly. Iggy offered to help with the cooking and James vehemently refused, stating that blind people couldn't cook. Eventually, with enough convincing, James agreed, but under his direct supervision.

"This is possibly the best canned food I've eaten." Sydney declared, patting her stomach. Anna rolled her eyes. "Maybe because it's the only canned food you've eaten," she said. Sydney flushed, though this time it was from outrage instead of embarrassment.

The sun had long since disappeared from the sky as night settled in, wrapping the mountains in a blanket of darkness. There was no way Jeb would come in the middle of the night. Reluctantly, Max decided that staying here with Fang's flock was the best idea. It was just too far to fly to and from Colorado.

"I'll take first watch and James can take second." Fang said, as everyone got ready for bed. Sydney and Angel were chatting quietly, having laid their sleeping bags close together. James nodded.

"No! I'll take first watch. I can't sleep anyways!" Max insisted. Once, she could've trusted Fang with her life, with her heart, but now? She didn't even trust him with her back. Fang, noticing this in her eyes, sighed, but backed down.

"Then I'll take second watch then. James can get some sleep." He said, leaning against the wall of the cave. There was no way he could sleep either, but he wasn't going to admit it was because of Max. As everyone drifted off into sleep, their breathing evening out and slowing down, Fang became increasingly aware that he and Max were the only ones awake. He had thought he was the only one who was aware of this, but then, something poked his arm.

"Fang? Can I talk to you?" Most of Max's usual brashness was lost in that one question, making Fang wonder what was up. Well, besides the usual anyways.

**Author's Note: **Second chapter is up! I finally got a plot! It's mostly fillers and boring stuff right now though. Bare with me! What do you think Max is gonna tell Fang? Review and tell me! 8D


	3. Opening Old Wounds

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Max, her flock or Fang. James Patterson does.

Fang was surprised at the sudden un-Maxness in her tone. It sounded serious, so he got up and followed her out. He noticed that he was still about a head taller than her, which wasn't really useful at the moment. Not that checking out his ex-girlfriend was ever going to be useful.

"Okay, what's up?" Fang asked, delighted and confused at the same time at Max's willingness to confide in him. She sat down on the cliff's edge, her feet dangling out from it. Fang wasn't worried that she'll fall. They've got wings for heaven's sake!

Max remained silent for a while longer, no doubt rethinking about her decision to talk.

"You're not telling me something. What is it that Jeb wants us to do?" Fang could tell that Max cut off something at the end and he could guess what it was. _What is it that Jeb wants us to do together? _

Fang walked over to her, not sure if he should explain or not. Jeb had specifically told him not to tell anyone about what their true goal was. But when did Jeb's word count for anything anyways? "It's really complicated, but I promise we'll do this together." Almost as soon as the words were out, Fang could tell that they weren't the right words to say to Max.

She leapt up and whipped around, fury in her eyes. "You promise? Your promises don't count for anything in my book anymore! Not after, not after you just left us like that!" she said. Fang took a step forward, wanting so much to just wrap her in his embrace.

"Max… it was for your own good. For you to be safe," he countered.

"We could've faced it together! You ripped my heart out, Fang!" Max all but yelled. Fang could now see that the politeness Max had shown earlier today had only been a mask. Deep inside, she was a whirlpool of emotions. Briefly, Fang saw those emotions flash in her eyes: anger, pain, sorrow, regret and love.

"Max, I…" Max cut him off when she dove down the cliff, only to emerge moments later, using her speed to race off into the night.

Fang knew Max well enough to know when she wanted to be left alone, and this was one of those times. He cast one last look into the empty sky and headed back into the cave, deciding to remain on watch.

It was all Jeb's fault. Jeb's fault that Max was going to die.

**Author's Note: **It's pretty short compared to the rest of my chapters! Sorry! So what did you guys think? A little bit better? Worse? Am I losing you guys? xD Review and tell me please! C:


	4. A happily ever after, sorta

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Iggy, Ella or the rest of Max's flock, despite how badly I've mangled them. They belong to James Patterson! C:

Iggy blinked, though it didn't do much; for a moment, he had forgotten about his blindness. Despite the darkness that enwrapped his world, he _knew _he was sitting on something soft, something warm almost. He was covered with a soft material. A blanket? Huh. Didn't he fall asleep on the ragged ground of a cave? Oh well. He was going to take what he got, knowing that anything good would almost always be short-lived.

"GET UP GUYS! IT'S BREAKFAST TIME!" A familiar voice called from somewhere to his left. It was muffled, telling him that a wall –and a door- probably separated them. A door probably meant they were in a house, but geez, he should've figured that out by now.

Iggy got up, feeling around him with his sensitive fingers, luckily not bumping into anything. Perhaps this sudden evasiveness to solid furniture was because their placement was so familiar. _This is… Dr. Martinez's house. _He realized this just as he felt the door open, it's hinges creaking and the whole room shuddering as a result.

"Iggy! Hurry up and get your ass down to the kitchen right now!" Max screamed at him, though he detected amusement buried under the impatience and anger. He held up his hands.

"Alright, I'm coming. But geez, Max. I'm _blind._ Give me a break!" Iggy complained, though his voice was light with teasing as well. It was easy to just step back into the life they had left on hold when they went to meet Fang and his flock. Come to think of it, why were they still here? Did they come back already?

"Iggy! Seriously, if you don't start moving, I'm going to kick your ass from here to the middle of next week!" Max threatened, her voice getting further and further away. Iggy smiled. Yep, that was Max alright.

He walked down the steps and turned towards the kitchen and the unmistakable smell of smoked bacon. The rest of the flock was already there, digging into their meals like ravished wolves. They had higher metabolisms so they could eat a lot while still staying thin. Iggy sat down beside Ella, Max's half-sister, and offered her a tentative smile.

They had been 'dating' for the past year and a half and so far, it was probably the best thing that had happened to Iggy, besides the whole watching-Itex-go-down-in-flames thing. That was just sheer awesome. Ella was like Max in so many ways, and also different in others. They certainly had the same outgoing attitude, though Ella knew when to be polite and when to speak her mind. Max, on the other hand, hadn't even begun to learn the self-control necessary to make such decisions.

Iggy felt someone hold his hand and give a slight squeeze. Ella. She must've noticed his squeezed her hand slightly and returned her smile, telling her that he was fine, then dug into his breakfast.

"Alright guys, you know what day it is today?" Max asked, her voice pitched with anticipation and excitement. Iggy raised his head and diverted his attention from the bacon in front of him. What was she talking about?

Nudge squealed, obviously in on this, and even Gazzy snickered. "It's Christmas! And you know what that means? Presents! Oh, like, I made this wish list of stuff I wanted from those magazines that Fang gave me for my birthday." She paused, "Oh, I should've showed you guys, now that we're getting presents anyways." She continued talking in the way that only Nudge could and Iggy felt the corners of his mouth pull up into a small smile. It was nice having things back to normal.

Wait, presents? What was Christmas anyways? Was it like a birthday? Why did everyone but him know of this? His pale blue eyes widened in dismay and confusion as he looked in the direction of Ella. She felt his sightless gaze on her and threw him a smile despite him not being able to see it.

"Iggy, just wait till you see my present to you!" She sounded excited. Iggy grew worried. So this was like a birthday. Present exchange. He remembered making cake for everyone back at their house in Colorado, celebrating their short-lived peace. That had been his present and it had taken him all day to prepare. For sure, he didn't have time right now.

As they moved into the living room, Angel managed to move her way up beside Iggy, taking hold of his hand and giving it a small squeeze. _Don't worry, Iggy. _She thought to him. Damn, she had been reading his thoughts. _Angel, you have to help me, _he thought, desperation leaking into his thoughts. He knew he was desperate when he started asking an seven year old for relationship advice. Angel giggled at the thought. _Just give her something special, something memorable! _Iggy could almost hear the 'duh' that trailed in her thoughts as she consoled him in that wise Angel voice she was so good at.

Iggy sighed. All throughout the present exchange, he continued thinking about this, only partly paying attention to the presents he received. The others didn't seem fazed by his lack of presents to give. He got a few rolled up pieces of paper from Gazzy, who discreetly informed him that they were blueprints to the new bomb he wanted to build, a cookbook from Nudge and Angel, and a personalized notebook filled with everything Ella-related from Max. Personally, Iggy didn't know how he was expected to 'read' these books, but the girls obviously thought that he could use his sensitive touch and limited vision to see the colors on white and read.

After that, everyone went their own ways, Nudge and Angel retreating to their rooms to play with the makeup set Nudge had gotten from Max and Gazzy heading outside to fly around. Ella remained in the room with Iggy and had scooted quite a bit closer to him. On a subconscious level, he was acutely aware of the distance between them, causing his face to flush slightly.

At last, Ella stood up, pulling Iggy up with her. The sound of wrinkling paper told Iggy that Ella had taken out a piece of folded paper. He cocked his head curiously as she cleared her throat. To Iggy, Ella seemed slightly nervous. She normally wasn't the type to wait until they were alone to be together.

_Merry Christmas! I know that this is probably the first time you've celebrated it, so I really wanted to make this special for you. I thought a lot about what to get you, and to be honest? I still haven't. Actually, mom helped me think of this one. _

Ella paused, and then threw her arms around Iggy, who was a good head taller than her.

_I love you. More than I've loved anyone at my school, but not more than Max. But don't worry, I love you a lot too. Maybe you don't consider this a proper gift, and… I can get you something else if you wanted, but I really wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you being here. Merry Christmas!_

Ella drew in a breath but remained silent. Iggy smiled at that and cupped her heated cheeks with both his hands. From the sound of her heart beating and the warmth of her face, he guessed that she was probably blushing.

Finally, after a moment of silence, Ella spoke again. "Iggy? D-did you think it was okay? For a present, I mean?" Her voice was hesitant, tentative, worried.

His own heart was speeding, and not just in that normal bird-kid way either. "I love you too, Ella." He leaned down and kissed her, all that love and passion that built up pouring into that kiss. Iggy wanted to much to tell her how much he loved her and how, despite everything that's gone wrong with his life, he never regretted this choice, he never regretted meeting her. He realized that the only possible thing that he could do for Ella was to stay with her and stay alive. Not just for his sake, but for her sake as well. And that, was what he resolved to do. To give her his present all year round.

When they finally pulled back, Iggy pulled her back down onto the couch and kept his arm around her waist. "Merry Christmas, Ella," he said, knowing that his world wasn't surrounded completely in darkness. He had something stable in his life, something that'll never change despite what happens to him or his family.

Her.

* * *

Of course, that was when he woke up and felt the cold mountain air whipping his face. They were at the cave, with Fang and his flock. Iggy groaned.

**Author's Note: **Merry Christmas guys! Or rather, Merry Boxing day guys! I know, I forgot to upload it yesterday! C: Mostly just Eggy fluff. x3

What dd you guys think? Was it okay for a one-shot? Review and tell me please! C:


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